The Demon's Assistants
by Satrinix
Summary: Bill Cipher begins to take an interest in the Pine twins. (No shipping)
1. Prologue

Stanford had the books. He had the secrets. He was going to ruin everything.

Bill had worked to secure this universe for himself long ago, before the arrival of its citizens. He had woven himself into to threads of history, hiding everywhere. He was always watching, manipulating humanity. Earth was his toy chest and humans were his playthings. Some suspected that there was a manipulator. Nearly all did, on some subconscious level. The ones who spoke of the things he did, the ones who saw the subtle patterns in his work, were commonly considered gullible, paranoid, or even insane. It was comical to him how stupid most of humanity was.

Take Stanford, for instance. He actually believed that he could go against Bill's wishes. He would not leave the universe that Bill had worked so hard to cultivate. Jumping universes would make the hologram wiggle and blur. The illusion would be ruined, the board would be flipped, and the game would be over.

He couldn't allow that.

But Stan's interference presented Bill with a unique opportunity. He had a chance to test the Pine twins. They had the potential to be useful to him, a pair of allies to aid him in his work.

They were perfect for this mission. They were close to Stan, so the chance that he would harm them was smaller. The handyman could have been useful, but he just wasn't close enough.

Question Mark had been useful in his own way, though. After Bill had imitated Soos and stole the memory, he decided to look into the fat man's mind on a whim. It was through Soos's eyes that Bill saw Dipper's sudden unwillingness to help Stan.

Bill had watched Dipper attentively since the battle. He had seen everything. He watched as Stan lost the Mystery Shack and Dipper fought to get it back with a gnome army (which, Bill had to admit, was resourceful). He saw Dipper jump off a cliff to save his sister.

The boy was brave, resourceful, and clever, but he was also fickle, easily influenced by his emotions, and prone to bouts of apathy and hopelessness.

Mabel, on the other hand, was almost perpetually bright and optimistic. She was assertive, creative, gutsy, caring, and a sort of silly that was difficult to argue with. However, silliness can get you into trouble, and too much optimism can lead to overconfidence. Without each other, the twins would be unbalanced. They worked together without consciously realizing it.

Now all he had to do was get them to work with him.


	2. Chapter One: A Visit

"Alright kids. You got to finish the movie. Now get to bed."

"But the credits are still playing! The movie isn't over."

"It said The End. Now go to bed."

"Awwwww-"

"I said GO!'

"Okay, okay! We're going!"

The twins pulled themselves up from the carpet and thundered up the wooden stairs, headed towards the attic.

"Hey, Dipper!"

"What?"

"Race you! First one to their pillow wins!"

"You're on!"

The pounding became even louder as the twins sprinted up the stairs, laughing. Mabel was in the lead, with Dipper following close behind. Mabel took the last six stairs two at a time and reached the landing first. But she stumbled on a loose floorboard, giving Dipper time to race ahead. Mabel raced forward again as her brother crossed the threshold of their room. He tried to stop herself before she reached the doorway, but it was too late. Unable to stop, she slid forward and disappeared.

Dipper was ejected onto his bed a moment later. Still running, he promptly collided with the wall, his head bouncing off with an audible crack. Mabel went sliding across the floor before falling forward onto her bed.

"Ow!" Dipper gasped as his head throbbed painfully, a 2/4 beat of pain in his skull. "What happen-AH!" Dipper jumped a few inches in the air at the sight of Bill Cipher floating a meter away.

"Hey there, Pine Tree, Shooting Star! Long time no see!" Bill lowered his voice slightly. "You really shouldn't do that, Pine Tree. Your brain could be affected. It would be a shame to see such a sharp mind go to waste.'

"Bill!?"

"Aww, you both said my name at the same time! How sweet! Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to retrieve you two, of course! Why else would I be here? I can't exactly summon you, now can I?"

"But why-"

"Hush, Shooting Star. All will be revealed in good time. Very soon, in sit down and listen."

" Why should we listen to you?" Dipper was instantly on the defensive.

" I saved your lives! You owe me!"

" You nearly killed us!"

" But I didn't kill you. Now sit down."

Dipper crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well, what if we don't want to?" Bill's eye narrowed. He floated forward until he was inches away from Dipper's face. Dipper stared back defiantly, still wincing slightly each time his head throbbed. Bill took note of this.

The pain in Dipper's head suddenly spiked, sending him reeling back, hands over his temples. There was a high pitched squeal and his vision went white. Dimly he heard Mabel shout his name, then a short thud. The pain was worse than anything he had ever experienced. It was worse than the time had fallen off into the gorge while high-fiving himself, worse than the time he had plummeted through the glass eye of Gideon's robot. Dipper collapsed to his knees, unable to stand.

And then it was gone. The pain had disappeared. Even the ghost of the sensation had departed. A small, cool hand was resting on his forehead. Dipper looked up, expecting Mabel. The arm he saw was black and thin.

"Sorry about that, Pine Tree. I didn't want to do that, but you needed to be reminded that you aren't able to fight me. You aren't in Moon's mind anymore. Resisting me is pointless. You're at my mercy out here."

Dipper jerked away from Bill's hand and glared at him with the most anger and hatred he could muster. Bill sighed. "So stubborn." A twinge of the pain returned for a brief moment,, but Dipper refused to react.

"I want you to do something for me."

"No."

"Okay, new rule. The word "no" is now forbidden when speaking to me."

"No."  
Bill quickly sifted through Dipper's mind until he found what he needed.

"You know who else says "no" constantly? A stubborn, bratty toddler who wants his own way all of the time. Toddlers never cooperate, even when it's beneficial to them, because they enjoy being contrarians. You, Dipper, are being a toddler."

Dipper looked at the floor, face burning. He hated being called a child. He was a preteen.

"Oh chin up, Pine Tree! There's still a chance to redeem yourself! All you have to do is prevent your uncle from destroying the universe!"

"What?"

"Remember that odd page in the third journal, Dipper? There are matching pages in journals one and two. When the pages are put together they reveal the secret to activating a machine of incredible power. However, when the machine is used it consumes all of the energy in the universe it resides in, destroying it. Your great uncle wants to use the machine to jump universes. "

"Grunkle Stan wouldn't do that! You're lying!"

"I'm not lying, Shooting Star. Think about it. What's the one thing your "Grunkle" chases after more than anything?"

There was a slight pause before Dipper replied. "Money," he said, "He's..he's always after money."

"And money brings many things. Wealth, security, and leisure, just to name a few. But what your uncle wants is power. He's an ambitious man. So ambitious that he would risk humanity for his own motives."

"Why can't you stop him?"

"I could, but I want to test you two."

"By making us save the universe?!" Mabel was incredulous.

"Yep! Just think of it as an entrance exam!"

"An entrance exam? But we aren't entering anything."

"Sure you are! if everything goes well I take you two on as my assistants!"

"What?"

"What! How! Why! No! You two never shut up! If this keeps up I might not take you two on as my apprentices."

"I thought we were going to be assistants."

"It's somewhere in between."

"What if we fail?"

The question came from Dipper. The scorn had left his face, replaced by seriousness and worry. Bill's single eye leveled with Dipper's pair. " If you fail the universe will be destroyed. Everyone you have ever loved and everything you have ever known will disappear. I'll steal you two away before you cease to be, but your friends and family won't be so lucky. My advice? Don't fail. Now get up. We have to get going."


	3. Chapter Two: The Search

Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! This is my first serious fanfiction, so I'm actually surprised (and remarkably pleased) that you enjoy it! It makes me so excited!

I'll be playing around with plot lines for a bit, so the next chapter may be delayed a bit. But for now you get this little chapter nugget! Enjoy!

* * *

It was almost time. Tomorrow night he would jump universes and find infinite power.

He had been preparing carefully, packing the items necessary for his trip. He would become the most powerful being in the world. He would be able to defeat anyone, do anything, and receive anything he desired.

Stan still felt embarrassed that he had let his guard down a few nights ago. If it wasn't for the kids, Cipher could have destroyed him.

The kids...how would he explain this to them? Walk over to them and say, "Hey, I'm not who I seem, I'm leaving the universe, see you later?" That would never go over with them. He would have to leave quickly and quietly, without their knowledge. He would have to be gone before they discover he left. Maybe it would be best to leave now, while the twins are asleep.

He wanted to say goodbye.

Stan crept up the creaky stairs slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake the kids.

He tiptoed across the wooden landing.

The cold door knob rotated under his hand.

It was moving on its own.

The door was suddenly flung open, and a yellow triangle darted forward.

"Got him!" BIll had grown in size. He pinned Stan to the ground. "Get off of me!" Stan struggled for freedom from Bill's grasp. "Somebody help! Kids!"

Dipper emerged from the doorway. "Sorry Grunkle Stan, but we can't let you destroy the universe."

"Destroy the universe?! What are you talking about?"

"If you jump universes you'll tear the fabric of this one!" Bill was orange with barely contained anger. He turned his enormous eye towards Dipper.

"Pine Tree."

"Yes?"

" Go with Shooting Star and get the books."

"I don't know where they are."

Mabel's eyes shone blue-white for a brief moment. "I know where to go!", she cried, rushing towards the stairs. "Come on, Dipper!" She tore down the stairs, Dipper racing to catch up with her.

The vending machine was easy enough. 1-3-5-4 pull. Take a left and rush down the stairs. Composition, pulverize, digestion, fusion. Beep beep, boop bop. Down the elevator, whoah. "Grunkle Stan was hiding this?" Mabel took a sweeping look of the room. "It's huge!"

The laboratory was, indeed, huge. At the far end of the room was an enormous machine with a large, symbol-laden wheel in the center. Smaller, blank wheels lined with blue lights surrounded it. It was humming, warming up in preparation for the jump. Dipper crept closer. He tentatively reached out to touch a wheel.

STOP. Dipper jumped at Bill's voice. He turned around, but the demon was nowhere to be seen. Don't touch it. I'm coming down to destroy it. Just focus on finding the books.

"What about Stan?" Dipper spoke aloud, much to the confusion of Mabel, who was busily pawing through a filing cabinet drawer. Bill's reply was quietly insistent. He's unconscious, but he'll be fine. Just focus on finding the books. You don't have to speak aloud, by the way. You can just think to me.

Dipper continued his search. "Hmm. Maybe they're in a secret wall panel." He ran his hands along the exposed portions of the wall, rapping as he went. He was tugging at bolts in the machines and pulling levers on broken equipment.

"I found them! They're in the desk!" Mabel was holding up two of the journals, her expression triumphant.

"And to think, I was looking for secret panels! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Good work, Shooting Star!" Bill had arrived. " I knew I could trust you two! You might want to hurry out of here, though. I'm going to blow this machine up!" Bill was happy and animated, speaking quickly.

Dipper grabbed the last book. The twins sprinted for the elevator. They had barely cleared the vending machine before an eardrum-tearing crash reverberated throughout the entire house. The machine was destroyed.

Bill Cipher glided up the stairs, slapping his hands together as if he were removing dust. "Alright, you passed, kiddos. I just have one more thing to attend to. And with that, Bill disappeared.

"Hey, where'd he-" Snap. With a pair of soft sighs, the twins tipped backwards into the demons arms, asleep.

The twins were sleeping soundly, sharing a simple dream about exploring the forest. Bill had laid them out in Stan's wide recliner, where the seat was wide enough to accommodate the two of them comfortably.

Bill rose and darkened into a shadow. He silently slipped into Dipper's mind.

He only needed to mark their minds. It was a precaution, a warning to other entities that the twins belonged to him. The marks would show that the two were under his protection. Harming them or trying to take them would incur his wrath. A pair of humans such as these were rare, and considered valuable to certain groups. He wanted them for himself.

Dipper's mind was an airy, cool pine forest. The trees were well spaced and took on a bluish tinge in the twilight. Carvings moved, the bark splitting open and healing back up in rapid succession as they animated his memories. Bill quickly located a clearing. A large boulder sat in the center, dominating the area. Bill etched his likeness into the side. That should do the trick. He slipped out of the forest in the same silence he entered in .

Mabel's mind was a bright, swirling nebula floating in space, alive with color. Young stars blinked brightly in the rainbow of gases. Her memories formed in bright neons, forming and dissolving at a leisurely pace. Bill thought awhile, then waved his hand. His image was outlined in stars, like diamonds studded onto the black velvet of space.

He resurfaced in the outside world. The twins slept on. It was late after all, nearly midnight. They needed their sleep. He touched his small, thin hands to their collarbones, blue fire spreading from his fingertips, before teleporting them into their beds and departing for the forest.

* * *

20-1-20-20-15-15


	4. Chapter Three: A Discovery

Sorry for taking so long! I was busy with a lot of things and this sort of got shunted to the side. :)

* * *

Stan awoke to a quiet snorting. He opened his eyes. Everything in his field of vision was a flat pink. He shifted slightly, and a curly tail poked into his nose.

Waddles's butt was in his face.

"Ahh! What the heck! Get out of here, you stupid pig!" Waddles ran from the room snorting. Stan pushed himself into a sitting position. _Why am I on the floor?_ His sleep-bleary brain remembered the incident from the night before. _No. Not him. He didn't get them. He can't have. Maybe I can mark them first. Then he won't be able to hurt them. Please let them be okay. Please._ He stood up, still in slippers, boxers, and an undershirt. He shuffled to the stairs and rushed down them as fast as his decrepit body could take him. He searched the entire floor, even in the shop. It was the last place he had seen them go. He unlocked the vending machine door and checked his lab; they weren't there either.

Their bedroom. Of course. He wondered why he didn't check the bedroom first. It was closer to where he had awakened, after all, and they were more likely to be in their own room than in his lab. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He went back upstairs.

The twins were asleep in their own beds, wearing their clothes from the night before. Stan quietly tiptoed towards Dipper. He checked everywhere: Dipper's palms, arms, legs, feet, forehead, and neck. He even checked under his chin. He was relieved. He was unmarked-wait. A sliver of black poked out from the collar of Dipper's tee shirt. Grunkle Stan lightly grasped the edge of Dipper's shirt and tugged it down. The image of a small, snappily dressed triangle stared back at him with a single eye. He was too late. He ran to Mabel, and looked under her sweater collar. The same black image was there, just below the center of her collarbone.

_I have to get them away from here._ But there wasn't anywhere to go. Bill knew where the lab was. He couldn't hide in somebody else's house; everyone hated and distrusted left the forest. But he couldn't stay with the gnomes. They would try to kidnap Mabel. The manotaurs were out too; they were too likely to accidentally kill them in a brawl._ I don't have time to think about this. I'll just take them into the woods. Somebody has to willing to hide us._

He gently shook Mabel awake. "Hey. Mabel. Hey. Hey. Get up. We have to go. Now." "Whuuh? What's going on?" Mabel sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "Get up. We have to go."

"Huh? Grunkle Stan? What's going on?" Dipper had awakened. He looked at Grunkle Stan, confusion and exhaustion painted onto his features. " We're leaving. Now."

"Why?" Mabel was as bewildered as Dipper was. "We're going into hiding so Bill can't get you."

"But Bill isn't bad! He kept you from making the universe go all sploosh!" Stan sighed irritably. "One good deed doesn't make a good person, alright? Now come on!" "What about Waddles?"

"You can take him too. Just hurry up!"

"What's going to happen to the Shack?"

"It's going to be closed for a while! Now come on! We have to go!"

Dipper and Mabel reluctantly followed their grunkle to the front door. Mabel retrieved a lead for Waddles from the coat rack, and tied it around his neck while Waddles busied himself with chewing on the corner of Dipper's vest. Grunkle Stan opened the door, taped a "Closed" sign onto it, and led the twins to the woods.

It was a warm day, but the dark grey clouds hung low, threatening to rain. A drop fell onto Mabel's hairline, despite all of the leaves blocking the precipitation. The rain began to fall more quickly, colliding with the exposed earth under the canopy with a sound like rice spilling onto stone.

After a short time, the rain stopped falling. It was still falling all around them, but it no longer hit the trio. The water on their clothes evaporated under a warm yellow glow. Dipper looked to the sky and released a startled shout. A large, black eye was staring at him Bill was floating over them, as wide as the spread branches of a tree. "Hi there, kids! Nice to see you again!"

"Oh. Hello, Bill."

"Getting used to me already, I see. Great!" His enormous pupil moved to stare, unblinking, at Stan."Thank you for bringing me my assistants, Stanford. Now run along, and don't get into any more trouble, okay?"

"I didn't bring the over for you, I was taking them away from you! You'll only hurt them! Come on kids, let's get away from this psychopath." He took each of their hands in his own and began to lead them forward.

They went in the other direction. Bill was pulling them back to him, though not with his powers. A bluish glow could be seen plainly through Dipper's orange tee shirt. Mabel's glow was mostly obscured by her thick sweater, and was barely visible. They became limp, unable to move on their own. They were as vulnerable as newborns, eyes wide and startled.

Stan was still hanging frantically on to their hands, legs dangling in the air. He wasn't going to release his niece and nephew without a fight. Cipher pulled him away as easily as one might remove a burr from their jacket.

Stan dropped to the ground with a grunt. "It's a bit late for that, Moon. You had your chance to mark them, and you didn't. They belong to me, fair and triangle." Bill's tone was tranquil, peaceful. He had won. The fight was over (if there ever was one at all), so there was no need to get emotional.

Stan did so anyways. "No…" He was wilting, slumped over. "Not them…please". His grief at even the concept of losing his niece and nephew was genuine and powerful. Bill could almost see Stan's sorrow. It was coming off of him in waves, washing the color and life out of Stanford's personal reality by the second. Bill sighed, shutting his eye in annoyance.

"Get up, idiot, and stop snivelling like that. It's pathetic, and I've already won, so there isn't any point to it. They're going to be fine. They're actually going to be better for the experience! Their eye will be opened."

_Eye?_ Stan looked at Bill, fear and worry on his face. "Don't do that. That will ruin their lives! They could go insane!"

"People only go insane if they do it wrong. I'm a master of the mind. Minds are my modeling clay. They can't possibly go insane." And then the twins were gone.

"WHERE DID THEY GO? WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Stan went from forlorn to frantic in a flash.

" Calm down! They're back at the Mystery Shack, you senile old fool. I don't need them until tonight. And remember this." Bill drew closer to Stan, until he was nearly touching Stan's glasses.

"I may not want you, but if I have to, I will mark the entire Pines family, even the entirety of Gravity Falls to keep you in line. I control the planet. _I am king._ If you don't do as I say, there will be consequences. Don't even _think_ about rebelling against me. Defiance is a fool's game. I _always_ know what you're thinking, and I _always_ know where you are. Now find your pig and go home. Sit back, relax, and tell no one. It will be easier on all parties involved if you just submit quietly." With that, he was gone.

Stan was too stunned to move. He stared into the forest, mind blank and overflowing at the same time. He was emotionally weak and tired. He just wanted to go to bed and forget the world. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't will himself to move.

A a few minutes, his legs began to move of their own accord, pushing him back home.

"Ahh!" Dipper shouted as he fell from midair to his bed. He bounced once, then fell to the floor. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head with his palm. He could move and speak again. Mabel had soundlessly bounced onto her bed, coming to a stop face first in her pillow. "Ugh...what happened?"

"Bill did."

Mabel's eyes went wide, and she pointed across the room at her twin. "Dipper!Your shirt is glowing!"

"Huh? Whoah!" A blue glow still emanated from underneath Dipper's shirt. He raced to the bathroom, trying to catch a glimpse of it in the mirror before it faded. He stood in front of the mirror and tugged down his shirt scream could be heard all throughout the house.

Mabel came racing into the bathroom. "Dipper! What's wro-whoah." She quickly pulled off her sweater. The glow was now readily apparent, shining brightly through her light pink tee shirt. She pulled her collar down past her collarbone.

Black lines composed an image of Bill Cipher, staring back from the twins' upper sternums.

"Tattoos," Mabel breathed. "Mom and Dad are going to kill us."

* * *

20-8-5-25 23-9-12-12


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